Trump Clarifies Major Rumor

President Donald Trump is pushing back against reports suggesting Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds is trying to distance himself from the White House after Donalds’ campaign removed several prominent references to Trump from its website.

Trump rejected that interpretation Saturday, calling the reports a “Fake Story” and reaffirming his support for Donalds, a Republican congressman running to succeed term-limited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“Another Fake Story is that a very close friend of mine, a man I endorsed very early, Byron Donalds, is taking me off his website and Campaign materials,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

What Changed on Byron Donalds’ Campaign Website?

The controversy followed a recent redesign of Donalds’ campaign website.

Earlier versions of the homepage prominently promoted Trump’s endorsement, including language describing Donalds as a “Trump-endorsed Proven Conservative Fighter.”

The previous website also featured a photograph of Donalds and his wife with Trump and listed “Enact the Trump Agenda” among the campaign’s policy priorities.

Several of those prominent references were removed during the redesign.

However, Trump’s endorsement has not disappeared from the campaign website.

The president’s support continues to appear among Donalds’ endorsements, while the redesigned website places greater emphasis on issues including affordability, insurance costs and government transparency.

Donalds has publicly rejected suggestions that the changes represent a political break with Trump.

“I am proud to have President Trump’s endorsement,” Donalds wrote while directing voters toward his campaign’s policy proposals.

Donalds Says Website Redesign Was About Florida Issues

Donalds said the campaign had been planning the website overhaul for weeks and wanted the new version to focus more heavily on his plans for Florida.

His campaign has pointed to issues affecting residents directly, including the cost of living, property insurance and state government accountability.

That explanation has not stopped the website changes from attracting national attention.

The timing is particularly notable because Donalds is campaigning in a closely watched Florida governor’s race against Democratic nominee David Jolly.

Jolly is a former Republican congressman who left the GOP in 2018 and later joined the Democratic Party.

Trump Reaffirms His Endorsement of Donalds

Trump said Donalds responded quickly after reports about the website began circulating.

“Byron immediately put this picture out, and statements that it was not true, and greatly accelerated the fact that I have strongly Endorsed him,” Trump wrote.

The president also said two rallies supporting Donalds are planned in Florida and predicted strong attendance.

Trump ended his statement by again giving Donalds his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”

The renewed endorsement makes clear that, despite the website controversy, Trump continues to publicly support Donalds’ campaign for governor.

Trump Targets Media Coverage of the Website Changes

Trump devoted a significant portion of his statement to criticizing news organizations that covered the redesign.

He named several major outlets and argued that their reports had incorrectly portrayed Donalds’ website changes as evidence of a political split.

The website changes themselves are documented.

The larger disagreement is over their meaning.

Some news reports interpreted the reduced prominence of Trump on the website as an effort by Donalds to create political distance from the president.

Donalds and Trump have rejected that interpretation, saying the campaign remains supportive of the president while shifting the website’s focus toward state policy issues.

That distinction is important because the campaign did remove prominent references to Trump while continuing to feature his endorsement elsewhere.

Trump Renews Criticism of News Organizations

Trump also broadened his criticism beyond coverage of Donalds.

He argued that news organizations he considers dishonest should face consequences and questioned whether certain outlets should continue receiving White House access.

“The Fake News Media been doing this for years,” Trump wrote before criticizing news organizations he described as “CORRUPT and DISHONEST.”

The comments come amid broader disputes between the Trump administration and several media organizations over White House access and press protections.

Florida Governor Race Draws National Attention

The dispute over Donalds’ website illustrates how closely campaign messaging is being examined as the Florida governor’s race moves toward Election Day.

Donalds has long been publicly aligned with Trump and received the president’s endorsement before formally entering the governor’s race.

The redesigned campaign website now gives greater prominence to Donalds’ own Florida-focused agenda while continuing to acknowledge Trump’s backing.

Whether that change was simply a campaign branding decision or carried broader political meaning remains disputed.

What is not disputed is that Trump continues to endorse Donalds and that Donalds continues to publicly welcome that endorsement.

With the election approaching, attention will increasingly turn toward the candidates’ proposals on affordability, insurance, taxes, housing, education and other issues affecting Florida voters.

For now, Trump is making his position unmistakable: his endorsement of Byron Donalds remains in place.